My Baby is an Adult - Happy 18th Birthday to Lewie

I started this blog when Lewie was 18 months old in 2009.  I would have started it when he was a baby, but blogging was new back then.  Not many people knew about it, and those who did wanted to get as many followers as possible.  I was one of those moms.  "Maybe I can earn enough money from sponsors, so I can be a stay-at-home mom with my son," I thought.

One of the first images I've posted of Lewie.

That was 17 years-ago... Today, the dream of making money from this blog is all but forgotten. I stayed the course (even though my posts have become fewer and fewer each year) because I've enjoyed recording all the amazing milestones of my son Lewie.  Sure, I've recorded some of my own milestones along the way, but the purpose of this blog has always been about being a mom, being a cheerleader for my son, and positively showing up for other moms I've met through the blogging experience.

While Lewie turns 18 today, I am not ready to hang up the towel so to speak.  Since I held him back in kindergarten, he has one more year of high school, which means we still have another year to enjoy Lewie's day-to-day antics before leaving the nest.  Even then, I'm sure I'll be able to write about his days in college and going to visit him!

Our summer this year has been rather muted. We've done very little traveling as we needed to stay home to help my mom recover from her fall. At the same time, Lewie's been buried with different activities--virtual and in-person driving lessons, literacy tutoring for a non-profit called READ 718, coding projects for his college admissions application, and summer homework for two out of his three AP classes--he will be taking AP English Literature and Composition, AP Calculus BC, and AP U.S. Government and Politics.  

Over the years, I watched this quiet, creative child turn into a chatty extrovert who's both talented and innovative.  I suppose every parent brags about their child's accomplishments, so yes, I'm that parent, too.  I've watched my son excel in areas that are far beyond me.  For example, I struggled to pass chemistry and Algebra II, much less physics and calculus. I also didn't get rid of my shyness until college. Lewie has made tons of friends in high school, and it appears that classmates from multiple friend groups connect with his authenticity. He is confident yet humble, practical yet open-minded, and empathetic yet pragmatic. He's also a good teacher. I've listened to him tutor his friends over the years, and now it's been rewarding to hear him tutor his third-grade student from READ 718.  Right away, he noticed she lacked confidence, so his first goal was to reinforce how smart and capable she is through lots of encouragement and praise.  I was surprised to see how instinctual teaching is for him!

Following tradition, I interviewed Lewie for his eighteenth birthday. I think this will be the last year as he's growing up!

Q:  What is your favorite thing to do in school?
A:  To socialize and be a goof. That's my final answer.

Q:  Who's your favorite teacher?
A:  I love Mrs. Geary, but Ms. Jackman is my favorite. I like Mrs. Fritz (from Poland) too.  Do I have to pick just one?

Q:  What is your favorite sport?
A:  My favorite sports are tennis and skiing. I'm going to be captain of the tennis team this year, but I want to ask Mr. Sutton if I can have a co-captain.  I think Dan really deserves it even though he's only going to be a junior.

I still can't believe I beat Jameson (his good friend) twice in mixed doubles!  Winning with Olivia really gave me confidence!

Q:  What is your favorite ice-cream flavor?
A:  I like Cookie Monster and sweet cream, even though I haven't had sweet cream this year yet.

Q:  What is your favorite video game?
A:  DELTARUNE! That game has the best story and game play. The characters are well written.

Q:  What is your favorite book?
A:  We read a lot of Frederick Douglas this year. We also read The Great Gatsby, but that book sucked. The characters weren't realistic, and the story wasn't wildly creative. I would have preferred to read the history of the Roaring 20s instead of a story about it.  (Lewie couldn't come up with a favorite book this year.)

Q:  What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: The two things I really love are computer science and engineering. I'd also like to be a musician and an author. I love writing, but I don't know if I love it enough to write a whole book.

Q:  What is your favorite saying this year?
A:  Oh yea, baby!  I say it after something I feel good about.  (I personally enjoy my son's "Lewieisms."  For example, he still uses words like "reclounge chair," instead of recliner, or coffeine instead of caffeine.)

Q:  What is your favorite moment as a 17-year-old?
A:  Getting to socialize and know people better this year. I also learned a lot of stuff in music. (Other favorite memories included going to his friends' graduation parties, ski club, and homecoming, where he was able to encourage some of his classmates to go up and do the chicken dance.) As for favorite family memories, he enjoyed seeing Tom Papa perform and staying at the Publick House Historic Inn on Easter weekend.

Q: What was your favorite subject this year?
A: Before answering this question, Lewie had to remember the courses he had on his "A" days and "B" days this year.  "A" Days included Sociology, Health, Finance, Graphic Design, and Pre-Calculus.  "B" Days included ASL, Physics, Computer Science (Java), and AP Lang.

"Sociology was my favorite. I didn’t even have to take the final for that class."  (He was a total extrovert in that class, which means he enjoyed giving presentations and making people laugh. Also, the class was taught by his favorite teacher, Miss Jackman.)

Q: What is your favorite album?
A:  It's Evelyn Evelyn.  (I've never heard the album, but evidently, it has songs called "Chicken Man" that include the piano and ukulele.)

At this point, Lewie was ready to answer more questions, but I lost steam. This year, I noticed Lewie is becoming more like his father. He gets energized talking to people, and he has a hard time "winding down" when it is time to go to sleep.  So far, his sleeping patterns are not interfering with school, but I will need to watch them this year.  All I can say is that I'm so happy Lewie has the self-confidence to laugh, make new friends, and be himself. This year will be a new adventure--senior year, selecting a college, driving, voting, and serving as his high school tennis captain (to name a few).  It already sounds busy, but I hope to savore every second, for this will be his last year in grade school. It will be the end of an era.  

I treated Lewie to his favorite Friendly's breakfast on his special day!

Spring 2026 & Lewie's Junior Year of High School

I can say one thing with certainty--when you're working full time and taking college courses, time gets away from you. Lewie's junior year flew by and so did my first year of studying at KU. We did get a chance to celebrate important moments, of course, but I've been terrible about recording them. Here is my snapshot of a year that was difficult yet full of milestones.

1) Lewie kicked butt in his studies.  This kid took four AP courses--Physics, Computer Science A, Precalculus, and English Language and Composition-- passing them with As and high Bs.  This year, he was also inducted into three national honor societies - the National Honor Society, the National Fine Arts Honor Society, and the RHO KAPPA National Social Studies Honor Society. (I didn't think you could have a favorite honor society, but Lewie sure does. He LOVES the student leaders in RHO KAPPA as well as the teachers. They are his tribe.)

2) We laughed! For Christmas last year, I surprised the family with tickets to see Tom Papa at Foxwoods and Nate Bargatze at the DCU Center in Worcester.  Going to see our two favorite comedians helped break up our monotonous routine a bit and gave us something to look forward to. When I bought tickets to see Nate Bargatze in Worcester, I immediately thought we could use the opportunity to visit Worcester Poly Tech. Unfortunately, I never realized the April 4th date this year fell on the Saturday before Easter!!!  Hence, we did stay over night in Sturbridge Village, but we were in a rush to get home to be with my mother for the holiday. Visiting the campus didn't make sense with most of the students, faculty, and staff away. 

Besides enjoying Nate Bargatze, however, the trip to Massachusetts was fun for another reason. We stayed at an historic inn called the Publick House, which we are sure to visit again. Not only did they decorate the inn with beautiful flowers for Easter, but they had live little chicks in their main building. On Easter Sunday, we had a chance to enjoy some of their yummy baked treats before heading home. (PS - They have the cutest permanent tent set up for garden weddings--I may have told Lewie he is required to have his wedding there!)

Chillin at the Publick House on Easter Sunday morning.

3) We ended junior year with several hospital visits--first Lewie and then my mom-- but Lewie was able to resume tennis and participate in his end-of-the-year banquet  He also attended graduation to watch his three best friends (along with some tennis pals) receive their diplomas.

"I'm sorry this had to be such a rough year for you, Lewie," I sighed, thinking about the struggles he had with homework, his physics teacher, and the surgery he needed in late May for his blocked urethra. I expected him to agree with me, but instead he said the opposite: 

"This wasn't a bad year," he exclaimed. "This was the BEST year because I got to spend lots of time with my friends." He was right. Almost every course he had this year was with at least one of his three amigos. He also had the same lunch with them. Still, watching these boys cross the stage was bittersweet.  Their graduation truly marked the end of an era.

Currently, we are spending our days this summer taking care of Grammy (who's still recovering from three broken bones in her foot) and working on college admissions and scholarship projects.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Lewie is also taking a virtual driver safety class to get his license by mid-fall or winter.  I am getting teary just thinking about Lewie's senior year quickly approaching, but it's not here yet... 

We still have another full month of summer to enjoy before the whirlwind begins!!!

When it Rains, It Pours...

I'll be honest; these last few months have been HARD!  We started out with a few fun events. For example, in February, we saw comedian Tom Papa at Foxwoods Resort, and in the first week of April, we saw comedian Nate Bargatze at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. 

However, the fun didn't last long...  In March, Bruce came into the house limping. We hoped that, with rest, his hind leg would feel better. However, after two weeks of rest with no change, he had an X-ray, and we discovered not one but two of his "knees" had torn ACLs.  He needed a surgery called a TPLO, which cost $13,000. His recovery would be a full eight weeks, with very strict guidelines about taking him out on a leash and walking him short distances multiple times per day. 

In the midst of Bruce's recovery, my son Lewie was rushed by ambulance to the hospital on a random Thursday afternoon.  He told my mother he couldn't pee and felt uncomfortable. A few hours later, the discomfort turned into excruciating pain--Lewie couldn't stand upright and was crying in agony. My mom let my husband and me know she couldn't wait for us to come home from work; she had to dial 911. It's a good thing she did!  The nurses at the hospital said if Lewie had arrived only a few minutes later, his bladder would have ruptured!

Evidently, Lewie had a blockage in his urethra from "scar tissue." We don't know how he was injured, but a theory is that it came from a bad UTI he had back in 2020.  They had to "puncture" his urethra to help him pee, but they told us the puncture was just a temporary fix. He would need to return again in a week for a formal surgery to remove the blockage. The formal surgery sounded harmless enough--that is, until Lewie came home with a catheter he'd have to wear for five days!  To recap, Lewie had to have his urethra punctured, cut, and then probed with a catheter--his nerve endings kept him in unrelenting pain, and the bleeding didn't stop until three days later. I wouldn't wish what he went through on my worst enemy! At one point, he was developing dark circles under his eyes due to lack of sleep. It was just too uncomfortable!

The day Lewie could finally go back to the doctor to have his catheter removed was a good day. Lewie said he felt AMAZING, and I went to a higher education conference that was fun, too.  That night, having exhaled after all the excitement from the past week, my mom...FELL.  She tripped over Bruce's toys, and down she went. Her right hand was a bloody mess, and she knew immediately that she had done something to her foot.  She couldn't put pressure on it.  Hubby and I knew what we had to do... An ambulance arrived at our house again--this time for Grammy.  They examined her for her fall, took her vitals, and concluded she needed to be evaluated at the hospital.  Almost 12 hours later, they bandaged up her foot, confirming she fractured three bones, and wanted her to go to physical therapy immediately to teach her how to get around using a walker and hopping on one foot. The only problem is that my mom's leg is too weak for hopping, and her right arm is too injured to navigate a walker. We brought her home, but it hasn't been easy.  I'll spare the details, but I am essentially learning what it's like to be a caregiver--it's not easy at all!!!

They say bad things happen in threes.  I hope this is the end for us.  Bruce has another four weeks of recovery, and my mom now has six weeks.  June is going to be a long month. I'm sure we'll figure out a way to get through it, but we're all in a rush to get back to our old sense of normalcy. 

Mother's Day 2026 before Lewie's surgery and my mom's fall.

A Winter to Remember

I'm writing this post on the first full day of spring. When I look out the window, most of the snow is gone, and there are a few American Robins scouting our lawn for worms. The high will be in the 50s today, and I'm ready for it!

Our winter in CT this year reminded me of the winters I remembered growing up--the kind of winter where we would get snow, then another day of fresh snow, and then another--one piled on top of the other until late February or March when the sun would be strong enough to begin melting it away. We also had bitterly cold weather — for much of February, it was too cold to take my Bruce out for a hike.

Nonetheless, while it was challenging to be stuck indoors for weeks at a time, it was also nostalgic — reminding me of what it was like in years past.  I started to complain when I couldn't go out for a walk, but that frustration quickly turned to gratitude.  For over a decade now, our winters have been mild--light snow one day, rain the next, snow, melt, rain, repeat. My son, knowing these mild winters well, couldn't understand the types of winters I remembered until this year. Then he got to enjoy it, too. He went hiking with me a few times and then skiing with the Ski Club after school. Last year, we paid for a four-day ski pass, but he only used it once. This year, he was able to go all four times.

We also had seven old-fashioned snow days--yes, seven! I call them old-fashioned because they were full days off.  There was no obligation to be online in front of a screen. Instead, we could sleep in, eat well, play games, and get some rest and relaxation. (I used the time for studying.) 

Going back to school has kept me from regularly posting on my blog, but here are some of my favorite pics from our old-fashioned winter...

In January, we started with a wisp of snow, but soon we had storms that totaled up to 18 inches in some places.  On one hike, Hubby and I had a chance to go immediately after a storm--it was magical with the snow still glistening on the trees all around us. On other hikes, I was able to take my trusted companion Bruce. He typically likes to lead the way, and every once in a while, I can get him so excited that he runs and goes into "puppy mode."

In January, we spent one day snow tubing with Lewie's cousins. We had gone many times with friends, but this was the first time with family. It was a blast! Unfortunately, since we were all scattered, I didn't get any photos of us on the mountain, but I did manage to get this pic of us chilling at our favorite restaurant afterwards. 

Yes, it was a "real" winter this year. If I still had ice skates, I could have gone skating at some of our local ponds. Even our town hosted a "skate day," where people brought their own ice skates, while they served cookies and hot chocolate.  

Of course, like all "real" winters, there comes a time when we tire of the snow. For me, the excitement ended around the second week of March after we got our first warm day in the 70s!!! The warm spell didn't last long, but it was enough for me to crave the new season. I can't wait to see the first green, yellow, and purple sprouts of spring flowers... They haven't arrived yet, but I know they are ready to make an appearance soon!

A "Back to the Future" Holiday and My Resolution for the New Year

Every year, we do a themed Christmas card. We started with Christmas jammy photos, then moved on to costumes. Over the years, we have been the Tooth Fairy, a Leprechaun, and a Christmas Elf; an alien, spaceship, and Earth; Bigfoot, a tree, and a forest ranger; and the circus Strong Man, Lion Tamer, and Ring Master. 

This year, in honor of the 1985 movie Back to the Future, we decided to dress up like Doc, Marty McFly, and Lorraine Baines McFly. (The movie celebrated its 40th anniversary!) Lew and I loved the movie when we were growing up, and Lewie enjoyed watching it a few years back at a unique drive-in movie theater in Utah. It's tough getting these two to agree on a theme, but this one was a homerun. No one objected!

On our card, we listed quotes like, "I'm from the future," "That's Calvin Klein. He's an absolute dream!" and "Great Scott!"  We had fun wishing everyone a holiday filled with laughter, cheer, and a little time travel. (Yes, sometimes I'd like to go back in time, too...)

On another note, each year I write a New Year's post about resolutions. Like our holiday cards, my New Year's resolution posts have transformed over the years — they have been about everything from exercising more, saving money, and spending more time with friends and family to being kinder and gentler with myself.

This year, I am making my resolution the title of one of my go-to self-help books: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Dr. Susan Jeffers. Last year, I was afraid of starting my Ed.D. program, and now I love it. I'm not saying I'm about to go skydiving or rock climbing, but I want to approach this year with a "can-do" attitude.  Before I tell myself "no" or procrastinate because I'm afraid of failing, I'm going to jump in, knowing that I'll always have a lifepreserver if I make a wrong decision...

I typically don't like leaving my comfort zone, but I find that some of my most amazing life experiences have happened when I took a chance--from studying abroad by myself in Spain, to planning National Park trips, to accepting high-level work positions, to paying for an in-ground swimming pool when I didn't have much money in savings... I don't regret any of these decisions. They have made life fuller and richer because of them.

I don't know what 2026 has in store for us, but with Lewie looking at colleges and Lew and I celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, I know change and celebrations are on the horizon...

Happy 2026!